Sherlock, Series 2 - now with even more hoyay!

Let's not dwell on the fact that I've seen the first episode of Sherlock already, though it's not due to air on BBC America for some months yet. You don't ask, I won't tell. What I will tell is this - it's bloody brilliant. Spoilers ahead!

Moriarty: "Oh no!" 

Me: "Oh, yes."

The first episode, A Scandal in Belgravia, focuses on the one of the very few significant female characters in all of the Holmes canon: "The" Woman, aka Irene Adler. While the original Ms. Adler only appeared in one short story, she exhibits a keen intellect and nerves of steel - in short, the very qualities Holmes so admires in himself. In the end, she is able to get the better of Holmes and he ever after regards her as the finest example of the fairer sex.

Modern audiences, however, would never be satisfied with this somewhat bloodless admiration. They want romance, they want passion. In short, they want sex. So Sherlock gives the people what they want with a lusty lesbian Ms. Adler, a dominatrix who's sideline is selling national secrets. To be honest, I was a bit miffed that the (all male, mind you) writing team felt that they needed to make sexuality Ms. Adler's defining characteristic. But then this happened...

Ms. Adler: Are you jealous?
John: We're not a couple.
Ms. Adler: Yes you are.
John: Who the hell knows about Sherlock Holmes, but for the record, if anyone out there still cares - I'm not actually gay.
Ms. Adler: Well, I am. Look at us both.

And we both know who's taking him home. 

The implication being that neither Ms. Adler nor John swing Sherlock's way - yet, they both seem to love him. We later find out that Ms. Adler is attracted to Sherlock - her admiration for his intellect rises above her sexual preference. Will John follow suit someday? No, probably not. But this definitely gives the fan-fic writers plenty to work with. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - hoyay keeps the fan base strong.